Tinnitus and Ménière's disease

Abstract

Keypoints: 1. Ménière's disease is characterized by a triad of symptoms: fluctuating hearing loss, attacks of vertigo, and tinnitus. Some authors have included aural fullness. 2. Patients often seek treatment for the severe vertigo attacks, but may have had other otologic symptoms for some time prior to the onset of vertigo. 3. Tinnitus that occurs in Méniè re's disease is best characterized as a low pitched, narrow band of noise, resembling a roaring sound. 4. The tinnitus may change with the fluctuations in hearing loss, and tinnitus increases as hearing loss worsens with the progression of the disease. 5. During the active phase of Méniè re's disease, the vertigo can be debilitating and dominating the symptoms. 6. As the disease stabilizes, the tinnitus can become a serious and a severe problem. 7. It is believed that endolymphatic hydrops (imbalance in volume of the fluid systems of the inner ear) is the cause of the symptoms of Méniè re's disease, but there is still uncertainty regarding many aspects of the pathology of the disease. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011.